Epping, Jacobs, Lawes all find wins on busy bonspiel weekend

After a nice bounce back season in 2024-25, John Epping is off to another hot start in 2025-26.

Epping and his foursome from Sudbury won all eight of their games at the prestigious Shorty Jenkins Classic in Cornwell over the weekend, highlighted by a 6-3 victory over Switzerland’s Team Yannick Schwaller, the No. 2-ranked team in the world, in the championship game on Sunday.

The difference came in the sixth end when Epping stole two points - the game’s lone deuce - to take a three-point lead.

Epping, third Jake Horgan, second Tanner Horgan and lead Ian McMillan also defeated Team Daniel Casper of the United States in the semifinal and China’s Team Xiao Ming Xu in the quarterfinal.

Team Epping, who almost made the Montana’s Brier playoffs last year, also defeated Team Matt Dunstone and Team Scott Howard in preliminary round play as both those rinks missed the playoffs.

Notable Scottish rinks, including world No. 1 Team Bruce Mouat and No. 5 Team Ross Whyte, both dropped their quarterfinal matches.

On the women’s side of the draw, Switzerland’s Team Xenia Schwaller continued their strong start to the season with an 8-5 victory over Denmark’s Team Madeleine Dupont in the final.

Team Schwaller also won the Oslo Cup in Norway at the end of August.

Team Rachel Homan - the two-time defending Canadian and world champions - played their first event of the season at the Shorty Jenkins, making the playoffs before a surprising 8-1 blowout loss to Team Dupont in the semis.

Team Homan, who had a combined 15 losses over the previous two seasons, also dropped a round-robin game to Team Schwaller, 7-2, in Cornwall.

Quebec’s Team Laurie St-Georges and Nova Scotia’s Team Christina Black both missed the playoffs at the Shorty Jenkins.

First event, first win for Team Jacobs

It didn’t take look for the defending Brier champions to pick up their first win of the season.

Playing in their inaugural event of the 2025-26 season, Team Jacobs went 6-0 to capture the ATB Okotoks Classic in Alberta, edging Team John Shuster, 5-4, of the United States in the final.

In a field packed with notable Canadian rinks, Jacobs, third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert defeated Edmonton’s Jacob Libbus, 9-1, in the quarterfinal before dispatching Winnipeg’s Team Reid Carruthers, 7-2, in the semifinal.

Elsewhere, Saskatoon’s Team Mike McEwen had a solid run before dropping the semis to Team Shuster while Winnipeg’s Team Jordon McDonald and Calgary’s Team Kevin Koe both were eliminated in the quarters.

Lawes takes Saville Grand Prix

Winnipeg’s Team Kaitlyn Lawes won the Saville Grand Prix on Sunday after beating South Korea’s Team Youbeen Park in the final, 7-3.

Lawes took a commanding 3-0 lead after the first end and didn’t look back en route to their first win on the young season.

The 36-year-old skip, alongside third Selena Njegovan, second Jocelyn Peterman and lead Kristin MacCuish, went 6-1 in Edmonton, also routing Winnipeg’s Team Kate Cameron in the quarterfinal, 10-3, and South Korea’s Eunji Gim, 5-3, in the semifinal.

Another victory for Tirinzoni

Xenia Schwaller wasn’t the only Swiss skip to win this weekend as four-time world champ Silvana Tirinzoni took the Women’s Masters Basel with a a 7-3 victory over Italy’s Stefania Constantini in the final.

Team Tirinzoni scored four in the third end and three more in the fifth for their only scores of the game.

Tirinzoni, fourth Alina Paetz, second Carole Howald and lead Selina Witschonke went 6-0 at the event, outscoring their opponents by a total of 50-13.

Both Tirinzoni and Constantini are set to represent their nations at the Winter Olympics in February.